The People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force is the surface warfare branch of China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), consisting of all surface vessels in operational service with the PLAN. The PLAN Surface Force operates 661 ships organized into three fleets: the North Sea Fleet, the East Sea Fleet and the South Sea Fleet.
Type 626 tanker is a type of naval auxiliary ship currently in service with the People's Republic of China Navy (PLAN). Designed as a type that is capable of transport both water and oil, these ships entered service between 1964 – 1970. Type 626 tanker has received NATO reporting name as Fuzhou class, after the Chinese city Fuzhou.These ships have all retired by the late 2010s.
Type 632 tanker is a type of naval auxiliary ship currently in service with the People's Republic of China Navy (PLAN). Designed as a type that is capable of transport both water and oil, these ships entered service from 1972 onward. Type 632 tanker has received NATO reporting name as Fulin class.These ships have all retired by the late 2010s.
Dubei class target ship (AGT) and range supporting vessel is a very little known auxiliary ship of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN),and has received the NATO reporting name Dubei class.Originally built as a SWATH test platform,it was subsequently converted to a target ship by adding radar reflectors and other electronic equipment to simulate various targets in support of anti-ship weaponry development, but is still capable of housing different scientific instruments to perform various research tasks, and thus also acts as general purpose research ship (AGE).
Type 912 degaussing/deperming ship (ADG) is a type of little known auxiliary ships built in the Republic of China (PRC) for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), and this class has several derivatives. As of 2022, Type 912 is the most numerous degaussing/deperming ship in PLAN, and the longest serving degaussing/deperming ships in PLAN, until its successor ype 911 finally begun to appear in early 2010s.
Type 922 rescue and salvage ship is a series of rescue and salvage ships developed by China for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), and after decades of service they still remain active in other Chinese governmental establishments.
Type 946 submarine rescue ship with NATO reporting name Dazhou classis a type of coastal submarine rescue ship developed by China for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). A development designated as Type 946A is also in service with PLAN.
Type 917 rescue ship (ARS) is a type of rescue and salvage ship developed by China for its People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). A total of two ships have entered service by mid-2014, and more units are planned. Type 917 is the first ship in PLAN to adopt a trimaran hull, and hence received NATO reporting name Dasan class,or 大三 in Chinese, which is short for Da-xing (大型) San-ti-chuan (三体船), meaning Large Trimaran.
Type 646 hydrographic survey ship with NATO reporting name Kanyang classis a type of survey vessel currently in service with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).
The Dulaji class are a class of environmental research ships (AGER) currently in service with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), and the design is also modified for cable layer (YRC) in PLAN service, with both versions have received the same NATO reporting name Dulaji class because they share the same hull. The exact type of this class remain unknown as of 2022, because no official information has been released, despite the ships have already been in service for more than a decade. In addition to the usual task of conducting regular environmental sampling, monitoring/surveillance and research missions, these ships are also tasked with additional task of sewer transfer and treatment from other ships to prevent sewer onboard other ships from overflowing into the sea and thus causing pollution, and thus these ships also act as sewer vessels for vessel sewage discharging.
The Type 631 tanker is a type of naval auxiliary ship currently in service with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN),and has received NATO reporting name Fuchang class.Originally designed as a type that is capable of transport both water and oil, but only the oil tanker version entered service with PLAN.
Type 645 tanker is a type of naval auxiliary ship currently in service with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), and this type has received NATO reporting name as Guangzhou class. Originally designed as a coastal oiler that is capable of transport both water and oil, around twenty-three entered service, with four as water tankers and sixteen as oilers. This class has begun to be retired from active military service in the mid-2010s.
Ankang class ambulance craft is a class of little known naval auxiliary ship currently in service with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).The exact type still remains unknown, because the only official Chinese governmental information released on these crafts is that they are classified as fast ambulance craft,and has received NATO reporting name Ankang class,or 安康 in Chinese, meaning Well-Being. By Chinese classification, any naval vessel with displacement above a thousand ton is classified as ship / warship, and any naval vessel with displacement less than a thousand ton is classified as a boat / craft. Ankang class is the only boat / craft in the Chinese navy that is capable of hosting a helicopter, though it only has a landing pad, but not any hangar. A total of five units of this class have been confirmed in active service as of mid-2010s.
Type 803 torpedo retriever is a type of naval auxiliary ship currently in service with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).Construction begun in October 1960 at the 425th Factory of PLAN,the predecessor of current Wuhu Shipyard, and the first ship was launched on March 15, 1963. Sea trials begun on May 11, 1963 and the first unit was finally handed over to PLAN on December 24, 1963at Lüshun.However, delivery of subsequent units have been delayed due to political turmoil in China at the time, namely, the Cultural Revolution, so it was not until 1977, when the originally planned total of six units had finally been completed, including two foreign sales, one for Tanzania, and another for Cambodia.Specification:
United States Navy submarines, surface ships, and aircraft launch torpedoes, missiles, and autonomous undersea vehicles as part of training exercises. Typically, these training munitions have no warhead and are recovered from the sea and reused. Similarly, new naval weapons under development are launched at sea in performance trials. These experimental units also need to be recovered, in their case to obtain evaluation data. At various points in history, newly manufactured torpedoes were fired as a quality control measure and these, too, had to be recovered before issuing them to the fleet. The U.S. Navy has used a variety of boats to accomplish the retrieval of these test and training munitions. As their missions evolved over the last century they have been variously known as torpedo retrievers, torpedo weapon retrievers, torpedo recovery boats, range support craft, and multi-purpose craft.
Type 8105 naval trawler is a Chinese auxiliary ship of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).Type 8105 along with Type 792 and Type 8154 naval trawlers have all received NATO reporting name FT-14 AIT class,meaning Fishing Trawler - 14 Auxiliary Intelligence-gathering Trawler. After retiring from their original role of a spy ship, Type 8105 naval trawlers have been converted to auxiliary minesweepers and survey vessels, and kept in operational reserve of the Chinese navy.
Type 792 naval trawler is a Chinese auxiliary ship of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), deployed as intelligence gathering spy ship.Type 792 and its predecessor Type 8154, along with Type 8105 naval trawlers have all received NATO reporting name FT-14 AIT class,meaning Fishing Trawler - 14 Auxiliary Intelligence-gathering Trawler.
The Longma class is a class of little known diving support vessel (YDT) built in the People's Republic of China (PRC) for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). The exact domestic Chinese type designation remain unknown, and this class is identified by its NATO reporting name Longma class, or 龙马 in Chinese, meaning "dragon horse". As of mid 2010s, a total of four ships have been identified, and one of them Nan-Jiu (南救) 509 has been retired at the end of 2018.
The Dachou class range support vessel/target ship (AGT)/torpedo retriever (TR/TRW) is a class of little known auxiliary ship built in the People's Republic of China (PRC) for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).Designed as a successor of earlier Type 917 torpedo retriever (TR/TWR)/target ship (AGT), the exact domestic Chinese type designation remains unknown, and this class is identified by its NATO reporting name Dachou class, or 大筹 in Chinese, meaning "big plan". Specification:
PRC 
People's Liberation Army Navy 
